Inspiring Minds

New faculty at the College of Arts and Sciences pose for a photo during a reception at the University Art Museum. (Photo by Mark Schmidt)

ALBANY, N.Y. (September 13, 2016) — The start of the school year is always a time for new projects and new faces. The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) introduced its own new faces Monday, at a reception the University Art Museum honoring 31 new faculty members.

“I am pleased to welcome this talented group of teachers, scientists, scholars and artists who have joined the College this fall,” said CAS Dean Edelgard Wulfert. “We have every confidence that each of you – with your particular set of strengths – will push the frontiers of knowledge and make significant contributions to your disciplines and the College.”

Wulfert noted that UAlbany is in an exciting period of growth and transformation with the addition of two new colleges – the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity – and stronger ties to Albany Law School. CAS is similarly poised for growth, she said, adding new degree programs and strengthening others.

“For example, we are building several new Master’s of Science programs, including MS programs in Data Science, Forensic Science and Geographical Information Systems,” she said. “We are expanding our human biology program and investing in our theatre program. And we have created a new Institute for History and Public Engagement to connect faculty and students from the humanities to and social sciences to the Albany community.”

CAS is the University’s largest academic unit, supporting 300 faculty members housed in 21 departments and enrolling more than 7,000 students in its degree programs. The college is home to areas of study spanning the fine and performing arts, the sciences and mathematics, social and behavioral sciences, and the humanities – the liberal arts foundation of a UAlbany education.

The new faculty – 19 tenured or tenure-track professors, and 12 visitors and lecturers – include four each in the departments of Anthropology and Biology; and three each in the departments of Music and Theatre, Sociology, Psychology and Communications.

Andi Lyons, director of the theatre program and a professor of theatre design and technology, thanked Dean Wulfert for supporting two theatre positions as she introduced two new theatre faculty members: Lecturer Reneé Bell, a costume designer and milliner, and Assistant Professor Kathryn Walat, an award-winning playwright and opera librettist. The theatre program has experienced steady growth since reopening in the fall of 2014.

Wulfert praised the new faculty members as artists, researchers and scholars, and noted their equally important roles as educators and mentors for students.

“The enthusiasm that you as an instructor have for your subject matter sets the tone in the classroom, and your enthusiasm transmits itself to students and makes them want to learn,” she said. “You can inspire students in the classrooms, in your labs and studios or simply during your office hours.”

To see a list of all of CAS’s new faculty and staff hires, click here.

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